This Christmas
by Serene Ice Dragon
Summary: It's Christmas time, and recent events have some of the Shinigami planning something special. Full of TsuzukixHisoka and TerazumaxKannuki fluff.
1. Christmas Eve

_Author's Note: I did a little bit of research on how Christmas is celebrated in order to write this. What I found was that Christmas is actually treated more as a romantic thing. Christmas Eve in particular is a big night for couples, which certainly made things more interesting, considering my original idea before even doing the research. Talk about adding fuel to the fire! Anyway, hopefully I got the facts correct, my apologies if I did not. This does take place after another one of my stories, To Dance With You, but it is not necessary to have read in order to understand this, as small explanations are provided where needed (though, on that note, it does have some spoilers). It will only run two chapters, but it was too long to post as a one-shot. Contains TsuzukixHisoka and TerazumaxKannuki fluff!_

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Hisoka sat at the side of a lake, his back against a cherry blossom tree, looking up at the moon. It was full and pure white, not the blood-red that usually haunted him. The sky was clear, dotted with thousands of little stars. The still, dark water mirrored the sky. The temperature was just right. Hisoka sighed in contentment and closed his eyes, listening to the natural noises of the night. Owls hooting, crickets chirping, and...music? Music wasn't natural.

Sitting up, Hisoka looked around, trying to find the source of the music. Nobody was around, and there were no buildings nearby that could be playing music loud enough for him to hear it. The music- which he had realized was the song "Jingle Bells", was soon accompanied by humming. Determined to find the source, Hisoka stood up and peered through the darkness. A moment later, a familiar form began walking towards him. What was Tsuzuki doing out here, and why was he humming to a song apparently coming from nowhere?

"Hisoka!"

Hisoka ignored his partner, turning around and sitting back down beside the tree. He had been enjoying the silence, he didn't need musical accompaniment.

"Hisoka! Hisoka!"

He grumbled, trying to block out the music, pressing his hands to his ears. The calming scenery began to fade away as the music grew louder, as well as Tsuzuki's calling his name.

"Hey, Hisoka, wake up!"

Hisoka groaned and tossed a pillow in the general direction of Tsuzuki's voice. He sat up and looked over at the digital clock on the table beside Tsuzuki's bed.

"Tsuzuki, it's 7:30 in the morning, what are _you_ doing up, much less playing music and waking me up? You are never awake this early."

Tsuzuki grinned, tossing the pillow back onto the futon, watching it land on Hisoka's head. "It's Christmas Eve! We need to get ready for Christmas, so I figured the best way to set the mood would be to wake up to some Christmas music!"

If Hisoka had anything heavier than blankets or pillows in his possession, he probably would have tossed them at his partner's head. With an aggravated sigh, Hisoka kicked the blankets off of himself and got up. He'd been staying with Tsuzuki for over a month and a half now, ever since Terazuma and Tsuzuki had gotten into an argument that ended with the destruction of Hisoka's house. His house was supposed to get fixed, but Hisoka had asked Tatsumi to delay the reconstruction and just told Tsuzuki they had run into problems that were delaying it. The truth was, ever since the incident in Kyoto, Hisoka had been afraid to leave Tsuzuki alone for long. After he moved in, Tsuzuki had seemed to be happier than usual and wasn't falling into depression. Hisoka had decided that, if him staying with Tsuzuki would keep him from becoming depressed and allow him to keep an eye on his partner, he would stay longer. Thus, his temporary stay had been lengthened to an indefinite amount of time. All in all, it wasn't bad, but moments like this made Hisoka wish for at least a bigger house.

"Don't be so grumpy. Grumpiness is not allowed on Christmas Eve! Besides, this will be the first time we spend Christmas Eve and Christmas day together!" By together, Tsuzuki meant all night and day. Usually, he asked Hisoka to visit for a couple hours Christmas Eve, then his partner would go home and they'd see each other the next day as normal at work (if it was a weekday), then at the Christmas party the Count always held, then they'd part ways again. This year, Hisoka's home was Tsuzuki's, so Tsuzuki wouldn't be alone at all. He was already planning on staying up late watching Christmas movies until they both fell asleep.

Hisoka was going to argue, but decided against it. Typically, Christmas Eve was more reserved for couples to spend time together. Hisoka had to remind himself Tsuzuki was just being typical Tsuzuki and wanting to have somebody to celebrate with, and, since they were partners, it made sense. It wasn't like Tsuzuki meant anything romantic by it, even if it could be taken that way. That would just be silly.

"You okay, Hisoka? Your cheeks look a little pink..."

Upon the realization that he was blushing, Hisoka quickly turned his back to Tsuzuki and gathered his clothes. Why the hell was he blushing?! He really hated how easily he blushed at the simplest things that wouldn't affect most people. Grumbling to himself, he picked up his clothes and headed to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for work.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Happy Christmas Eve everyone!" Tsuzuki announced upon arriving at work.

Kannuki, who had just arrived moments before with Terazuma, looked over and smiled. "Same to you, Tsuzuki, Kurosaki!"

"Your partner doesn't seem too excited." Terazuma said, nodding to Hisoka. "You've probably already made him sick of Christmas."

Tsuzuki threw a glare at Terazuma before turning to Hisoka. "C'mon, Hisoka, smile!" He moved to stand behind Hisoka, then pulled his cheeks up, forcing him to smile.

Hisoka pushed Tsuzuki's hands away. "Cut that out!"

Kannuki giggled.

"Do you two have any special plans for the evening?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe it! Hajime-chan made reservations for dinner for tonight! You know how difficult it is to make reservations at a nice restaurant on Christmas Eve?"

"Wow, that's great!"

Terazuma gave a smug grin and put his arm around Kannuki's waist. "Yep, a nice dinner out on one of the most impossible days of the year to make reservations. I bet you couldn't pull that off, Tsuzuki."

"Hajime! Be nice!" Kannuki scolded. "I'm sure Tsuzuki could plan a lovely evening if he wanted."

Terazuma looked like he wanted to say something else, but decided against it.

"Well, we'd better get to work. See you guys later!" Kannuki said with a smile before turning around and skipping down the hall to her and Terazuma's office with Terazuma in tow.

"Wakaba's been so happy ever since Terazuma was finally able to touch her without turning into the Hound from Hell. Even Terazuma seems happy." Tsuzuki noted, watching them leave. It had been a somewhat recent event. Terazuma had wanted to learn to control his Shikigami, Kagan Kuroshungei, so that he could dance with Kannuki and ended up going to Tsuzuki for help. After Terazuma realized the whole thing had to do with his death, he eventually was able to resolve the problem with himself. Well, for the most part. Kannuki was the only one he could touch. Even Hisoka still made him transform, much to his dismay.

Hisoka started for his and Tsuzuki's office, letting his partner follow. "Well, he does really like her, even if he didn't admit it. I could tell when he saw you dancing with Kannuki at Hakushaku's last party. I'm sure he's been waiting for a long time."

"Well, I'm happy for them."

"Even though you don't like Terazuma?"

Tsuzuki shrugged. "Just because Terazuma and I don't get along doesn't mean I can't be happy for them. Besides, Wakaba is so sweet, she deserves it."

Hisoka shook his head. Despite the rivalry between the two, he knew Tsuzuki and Terazuma really didn't hate each other. He could recall when Tsuzuki had been in the hospital after Kyoto, Terazuma had apparently been pacing around outside the door, worried, though he never admitted it. He even wished Tsuzuki to get well soon. It was disguised as an insult, but it was clear that he really hoped for Tsuzuki's recovery.

They reached their office, and Hisoka took a seat at his desk. "You'd better get your work done on time, Tsuzuki. I'm not going to wait around all night for you to finish so we can go home. I'll leave without you."

"Of course I'll get my work done on time! I don't want to spend Christmas Eve in an office." Tsuzuki said and plopped down in his chair and turned to his stack of paperwork. He really didn't want to work, but he also had no choice. With a sigh, he started on his work.

"The faster you work, the faster you'll get it done and over with." Hisoka said, not looking up from his own papers. "Just make sure you actually do it right."

"I'll get it all done faster than I've ever worked before!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ha~ji~me~chan~!" Kannuki sung as the clock hit 5. "Guess what time it is?"

When Terazuma noticed the time, he jumped up from his seat so fast he whacked his desk with his thigh.

Kannuki giggled. "In a hurry?"

Pretending like it had never happened, Terazuma turned to the doorway of their office. "Shall we go?"

"We shall!"

As Terazuma was putting Kannuki's coat on for her, the two of them were met by Tsuzuki and Hisoka.

"Tsuzuki! Kurosaki! All done work and ready for Christmas?" Kannuki asked.

Hisoka glanced at Tsuzuki before turning to Kannuki. "Yeah, he got _all_ his work done..._on time_. It's a Christmas miracle."

"I told you I was going to get it all done!"

"Well, I think you can understand why that's something I wouldn't believe until I see it." Hisoka turned back to Kannuki. "Going out to dinner now?"

"Yep! Hajime literally jumped out of his seat when it was time to leave." She laughed.

"Well, enjoy your night!" Tsuzuki said.

"Thanks. Have a good Christmas Eve, see you two tomorrow!"

With that, Terazuma and Kannuki headed out the door, holdings hands.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Kannuki squealed in delight. "Hajime-chan! You got reservations _here_?!"

Terazuma grinned. "Yep."

Kannuki flung her arms around his neck. "Oh, Hajime-chan, you are amazing!"

"Come on, let's get inside so they aren't tempted to give away our spots."

"But we are a half-hour early."

"And that won't stop them from giving it away if they decide we aren't coming." Terazuma said, ushering Kannuki in. Once inside, he gave his name to the secretary, and they were soon escorted to their table. It was a high-class, romantic restaurant that was highly sought after on Christmas Eve. A large, gorgeous chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling that glowed in the dimmed lighting, and a large fireplace crackled in the back of the restaurant. Silk tablecloths with intricate designs covered each table. Three piece candle sets also adorned each table. Kannuki gasped as she looked around.

"Hajime-chan...how did you mange this?"

Terazuma smiled at her. "Not important." Terazuma pulled Kannuki's chair out for her, sat down in his own seat after she was seated, and handed her a menu. Once they had decided what they wanted and placed their orders, they sat back and waited for their food.

"I still can't believe you got us a place like this."

"I knew you always wanted to come here, and I figured now was the best time. You know, it being Christmas Eve and us not having to worry about Kuroshungei anymore."

Kannuki looked about ready to cry. "Oh, Hajime! I love you so much!"

If the table wasn't in the way, Terazuma was sure Kannuki would have come at him with one of her flying hugs, as he called them, and proceed to kiss him repeatedly. While that idea didn't sound bad, it wasn't exactly the best place for that. He was sure it would come later, however. She had a habit of throwing her arms around him when Kuroshungei was a threat, but now that that obstacle was no longer there, she did it far more often.

Terazuma smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

"Like it? Hajime, I love it! To think of all you've gone through for me lately..." Kannuki sniffed and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "It just makes me so happy!"

"It's the least I could do. You've put up with me and Kuroshungei for so long."

"You say that as if it's a bad thing. Well, the problem with Kuroshungei wasn't exactly a good thing, but I never minded being with you, even if we did have to be careful."

"That means a lot to me, Kannuki..." Terazuma said. Kannuki gave a smile in return.

In a short while, the waitress came and delivered their food. When Terazuma and Kannuki were done eating, Terazuma insisted Kannuki order a dessert, and Kannuki insisted Terazuma share it with her. They ended up ordering a hot walnut brownie underneath a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, hot fudge, and two cherries. After dessert, Terazuma paid the bill (which he refused to let Kannuki see), and the two headed home.

"Thank you so much for dinner, Hajime-chan." Kannuki said, giving him a kiss after they had arrived.

"Your welcome. Oh, but I have something else for you..." Terazuma walked to his bedroom, dug through one of his drawers and came back with a small, rectangular-shaped gift, all wrapped up with a bow on top. "Here."

Kannuki looked at Terazuma for a moment before taking the present. She unwrapped it, revealing an ivory case. Nestled inside was a necklace with a silver chain. A small, heart-shaped pink garnet hung from the middle, with three small diamonds on both sides. Kannuki gasped and looked up at Terazuma.

"Hajime-chan! All this?"

"Don't you worry about it. Here, let me put it on you." Taking the necklace out of the case, Terazuma unclasped it, reached around Kannuki's neck, and fastened it. He pulled her hair up gently from under the necklace, letting it fall onto her skin. His fingertips brushed her cheek as he moved back. "Do you like it?"

"Yes! I do!" Kannuki threw her arms around Terazuma's neck and kissed him. Though, as much as she loved the gift, what she loved more was how thoughtful Terazuma was, and how much planning he had done just for her. "Oh! And I have something for you!" She got up, ran to her room, grabbed his gift and ran back to the living room. "Here you go!"

Terazuma looked at the rather tall gift. He wondered how Kannuki had even managed to hide it from him. Unwrapping it, he discovered it was a bow with a matching quiver, already full of arrows.

"Like it? I got it custom made. I know you like archery, so I thought you could use it. Maybe it will give you good luck on the next archery contest!"

Terazuma smiled. "Thanks, Kannuki. I do like it." Putting the bow and quiver aside, Terazuma pulled Kannuki close to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her, happy that he was finally able to spend Christmas Eve with Kannuki like this.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

On the kitchen counter, all the ingredients Hisoka needed for dinner were spread out. Tsuzuki was staring in amazement, practically drooling on himself at the thought of a crab dinner.

"I didn't think you were actually buying crab for dinner!"

Hisoka raised an eyebrow. "You think I just decided to walk to the market and buy crabs for no reason?"

"Well...no. But what made you want to do that?"

"It's your Christmas gift." Hisoka answered with a slight blush. "You like food so much, I figured I'd cook something different. We have the Christmas cake, so an apple pie will have to wait for another time, and the party is tomorrow, leaving no time to cook on Christmas, so I decided to do it tonight."

Tsuzuki grinned and hugged his partner. "Thanks, Hisoka!"

"Your welcome, now let go, I need to start this."

"While you do that, I need to get your gift!"

"Tsuzuki, you don't have to-" Before Hisoka had a chance to finish his sentence, Tsuzuki had left the room. He was back in a couple of seconds, holding a rectangular-shaped present.

"You have to open it as soon as you are done cooking!"

Hisoka glanced at the gift in Tsuzuki's hands. "Can it wait until after?"

"Nope. You have to open it before we eat."

"Fine." Hisoka sighed. He should have expected Tsuzuki to want to exchange gifts early. He always did, unable to wait until Christmas day when everyone exchanged presents at the party.

As soon as dinner was done cooking and was set on the table, Tsuzuki held the present out to Hisoka. "Open it!"

Hisoka took the gift and did as he was instructed. Underneath the wrapping paper were two books that Hisoka had wanted, though he didn't recall ever telling Tsuzuki that he wanted them. Also in the package was a picture of the two of them from a few years ago, when they had first become partners, set in a simple black frame. Tsuzuki had his usual goofy grin on his face, his arm slung across Hisoka's shoulders in a friendly way. Hisoka, despite being annoyed at having to take a picture, didn't look completely upset.

"I hope that's okay...I wasn't sure what to get you. You didn't seem to have any pictures, and I thought you might like to have one of us for when you get your house back. I thought that one came out nice, and it was the first picture we took together."

Hisoka gave a small smile. "It's nice. Thanks, Tsuzuki."

Tsuzuki grinned. "Alright! Now, let's eat!"

After dinner was done, Tsuzuki and Hisoka had some Christmas cake for dessert. Tsuzuki, naturally, took a rather large slice, eating almost a quarter of the cake in one sitting. Hisoka had settled for a much more slender piece, which ended up leaving a forth of the cake eaten. Tsuzuki then washed the dishes while Hisoka cleaned the rest of the kitchen. When all of that was done, the elder Shinigami insisted that they get into their pajamas and settle down on the couch to watch Christmas movies. A few minutes later, they were both on the couch and the television was playing Christmas cartoons.

"Are you cold?" Tsuzuki asked, seeing Hisoka curled up with his knees to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs.

"A little. I'll just get a blanket."

Tsuzuki stood up before Hisoka got the chance. "I'll get it." He walked into his bedroom, grabbed a warm, light green throw blanket from his closet, and headed back to the living room. Holding on to one end, the tossed the blanket up, opening it, and let it fall on Hisoka. "How's that?"

"That will be good, thanks." Hisoka looked over as Tsuzuki plopped himself back down on the couch. "You're not cold?"

Tsuzuki shrugged. "Not really."

After a couple Christmas cartoons, Hisoka was getting tired. He yawned, and suddenly found himself resting his head on Tsuzuki's shoulder.

"Tired?" Tsuzuki asked, looking down at Hisoka. "Want to go to bed? I'll turn down the T.V. if you want so you can sleep."

"No, that's okay, I can stay up a little longer." Although he didn't want to admit it, Hisoka was rather comfortable and didn't want to get up. Tsuzuki's happy yet tranquil mood was very relaxing, different from his usual hyper attitude. It had Hisoka unconsciously inching closer, something he wouldn't have done normally. He was never one for cuddling, and would normally feel incredibly awkward about it, but, at the moment, he didn't care much. He was content and comfortable, so he had no plans moving.

Tsuzuki glanced over at Hisoka and gave a small smile. Most of the time, he had a hard time getting his partner to even accept a hug, never mind having him rest against him of his own free will.

"Hey, Hisoka?"

"Hm?"

"I um..." Tsuzuki cut himself off, "Ah, never mind."

"Don't start telling me something then decide mid-sentence you don't want to." Hisoka said, a slight edge in his voice. "What were you going to say?"

"It's nothing important, don't worry about it."

Hisoka sat up and looked at Tsuzuki. "You already started, so tell me."

Tsuzuki shook his head. "It's nothing."

"What, can you not trust me?"

"No, that's not it..."

"Then tell me." Hisoka's eyes narrowed. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was when Tsuzuki kept secrets. It was difficult getting him to talk when something was wrong, and it drove Hisoka crazy when Tsuzuki wouldn't talk to him to let him help. What made it worse was that he had already started saying something then abruptly decided not to. His gaze softened slightly when Tsuzuki looked over at him. He could sense Tsuzuki was nervous and reluctant to finish whatever he was going to say. Now Hisoka was concerned. "Please?"

"Well...I just wanted to say..." Tsuzuki hesitated a moment. He was clearly afraid of the reaction he would get with what he was going to say, but decided to continue, "I love you, Hisoka."

Hisoka stared. Did he just hear that correctly? He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He had no clue how to respond. Sure, he and Tsuzuki were close, but he'd never expected _that_. Nobody had ever just told him that they loved him, not even his mother. What was almost as surprising as that was the fact he was so surprised to begin with. He was an empath, so shouldn't he have seen this coming? He was convinced that he knew Tsuzuki well by now, so how had he missed this? Was it because he had been misreading him? No, that couldn't be right. He didn't misread the warm emotions he periodically felt from Tsuzuki, he simply mislabeled them. Granted, he didn't know what it was at first, and chalked it up to Tsuzuki's generally friendly personality, and the line between things such as admiration and love was often a blurred one, but to have never even thought of the possibility didn't make sense. It wasn't that he misread Tsuzuki's emotions, but that he had been too afraid to let himself consider the possibility that Tsuzuki truly did love him.

And why? Hisoka knew Tsuzuki would much sooner harm himself than hurt Hisoka. There was nothing about Tsuzuki to be afraid of. In fact, Hisoka really liked Tsuzuki, despite becoming annoyed with him at times, so what reason was there to be afraid?

Tsuzuki turned away, his mood quickly changing from warm and welcoming to cold and withdrawn. He wished he'd never said anything. To push away Hisoka now, the one person who had actually wanted to remain his partner after all this time, would be devastating. "Aaah, I knew I shouldn't have said anything. Now you probably think I'm some creep and hate me and want to leave and-"

"Tsuzuki." Hisoka said finally, stopping Tsuzuki from saying anything else.

"What?" He asked, looking back over at Hisoka.

"That's not true."

"Huh? You aren't freaked out?"

"No..." Hisoka looked down and stared at the blanket, his cheeks turning pink. "I actually...um..." He looked back up at Tsuzuki. "I love you too, Tsuzuki..."

Tsuzuki was surprised. One of the reasons he'd been so hesitant to tell Hisoka in the first place was because he didn't think his feelings were reciprocated. He knew how upset he'd be if he was rejected, so he never wanted to say anything. For quite a while, he'd felt much closer to Hisoka than just being his partner at work. He thought maybe they were more like brothers, but even that didn't quite feel right. After he thought about it, he'd realized that he had fallen in love with Hisoka, but never expected that Hisoka felt the same. After all, thinking about it, it was a strange relationship. They were eighty years apart, both males, and didn't have the best start. These things hadn't bothered Tsuzuki too much, as he cared deeply about Hisoka and nothing would change that, but he had thought for sure that Hisoka would think differently about it.

Hisoka moved the blanket so it covered both of them and snuggled up to Tsuzuki, laying his head back down on Tsuzuki's shoulder. Tsuzuki smiled and wrapped an arm around Hisoka, who smiled in return. Never had Hisoka felt so very comfortable and content. Tsuzuki was warm, and not just physically. The warm emotions he was emitting made Hisoka actually appreciate his empathetic abilities for once. Tsuzuki wasn't trying to hide them this time either. He usually kept a careful wall around his emotions for Hisoka's sake, but now he wasn't holding any back, letting Hisoka sense exactly how he felt: happy, caring, loving, everything that made the empath feel, for once, safe, wanted and loved; everything he'd never gotten from his life.

Hisoka closed his eyes, completely forgetting he was supposed to be watching Christmas shows, all his focus instead on Tsuzuki. He was so relaxed, he felt like he could just fall asleep any second...

Tsuzuki opened his eyes and blinked, forgetting for a moment where he was. The T.V. was rolling credits from a movie and his arm was still around Hisoka, who was laying against him. Realizing they had both fallen asleep, he gently rubbed Hisoka's back, trying to wake him up.

"Hey, Hisoka."

"Mmmm?" Came the sleepy response.

"I think it's time for bed. We both fell asleep on the couch."

Hisoka mumbled, "But I don't want to get up..."

Tsuzuki chuckled to himself. "It's just a few steps away, and more comfortable than the couch."

With a yawn, Hisoka got up and followed Tsuzuki to the bedroom. Tsuzuki got into bed and was about to say goodnight to Hisoka when his partner crawled in beside him and resumed his cuddling.

"Not going to sleep on your futon?"

"No, you're more comfortable..."

"That's fine with me. Goodnight, Hisoka." Tsuzuki said, hugging Hisoka closer to him.

"Goodnight..."


	2. Christmas Day

Hisoka was once again sitting beside the lake, but this time, he wasn't alone. Tsuzuki was sitting with him, and, much to Hisoka's pleasure, wasn't humming along to a Christmas song that apparently came out of nowhere. They were sitting together in silence, which was perfectly fine for the both of them. It was one of those moments where no words were needed, when they knew what the other was thinking without uttering a sound. Hisoka's left hand was laying on the grass between them, Tsuzuki's right hand on top of it, their fingers intwined. The small space between them was starting to bug Hisoka, however, so he scooted over more, closing the gap. As he rested his head on Tsuzuki's shoulder, Tsuzuki wrapped his arm around Hisoka's waist. And there they sat, looking at the full moon's bright reflection in the dark water, watching the petals of the cherry blossom trees fly by in the warm night breeze. There was nothing threatening about the darkness around them, no disturbing thoughts haunting the backs of their minds. Hisoka could only think about how comfortable Tsuzuki was to lay against, and, oddly enough, how good he smelled. Not to mention how lovely he looked in the moonlight, with that slight glimmer to his purple eyes. The temperature was just perfect, a cozy sort of warmth, not unlike cuddling under blankets on a cold day. In fact, Hisoka was pretty sure that he _was_ cuddled under blankets, in bed on a cold December morning.

Slowly opening his eyes, Hisoka found he was indeed in bed and cuddled with Tsuzuki under blankets. Though his head wasn't resting against his shoulder, since they were both laying on their sides facing each other, he was laying against him, Tsuzuki's arm around his waist, holding him there. Hisoka realized Tsuzuki wasn't lying when he said he liked to hug something when he slept. He had said it helped him sleep better, and apparently Hisoka had now become his personal living teddy bear. Not that Hisoka minded much, it was nice. Strange how something he avoided so adamantly before he found pleasurable now.

Tsuzuki's right arm was laying between them, the sleeve of his pajama top pushed up and the scars on his wrist visible. Hisoka slid his thumb softly over the marks and frowned. He knew just what pushed Tsuzuki to do such a thing, and just how depressed he could get. After all, Hisoka had witnessed it first-hand, and it wasn't something he ever wanted to see again. All the guilt, sorrow and self-hatred Tsuzuki had felt in Kyoto was absolutely crushing. It was something that had affected all of them, and every second of it had ripped at Hisoka. Tsuzuki didn't deserve to feel like that. He was such a caring, compassionate, loving individual, and he deserved to be treated that way in return, not teased, kicked around, toyed with and treated like a monster.

Hisoka pressed his face to Tsuzuki's chest, the top of his head just under Tsuzuki's chin, and, in a whisper, made a promise, "I'll never let you feel that way again."

A short while later, Tsuzuki awoke. He smiled as he saw Hisoka was still cuddled up to him. "Good morning."

"Good morning."

"And you said you didn't like cuddling." Tsuzuki teased.

"I don't." Hisoka paused for a moment, knowing that Tsuzuki was going to say something about that, blushed, and continued in a softer tone, "Only with you..."

"Aww, how cute."

Hisoka's blush deepened, and he tried to hide it by looking down and cuddling close to Tsuzuki's chest. That wasn't enough to fool Tsuzuki, however.

"Hey, don't hide, it's cute when you blush!"

"Cut it out!"

Tsuzuki chuckled and ruffled Hisoka's hair. "Oh! Merry Christmas!"

"Oh, right. Merry Christmas."

"I'm so glad we don't have work today! Working on Christmas is no fun. Besides...I don't really feel like getting up right now." Tsuzuki wondered how long Hisoka would stay in bed. The younger usually wasn't one for lounging around in the morning, and was always ready before Tsuzuki.

"For once...I agree with you." Hisoka said, much to Tsuzuki's surprise.

"See? I told you cuddling was good!"

Hisoka glanced up at Tsuzuki. "Tsuzuki, don't push it."

"Shutting up now."

"Good."

Tsuzuki smiled, wondering how he ever got so lucky as to have Hisoka as a partner. He still couldn't figure out just why Hisoka had chosen to remain with him, but he was glad he did.

"It wasn't luck." Hisoka suddenly said, having picked up Tsuzuki's thoughts. "It was...for lack of a better word, karma."

"Karma? I doubt it. If it was karma, you never would have-"

"Tsuzuki." Hisoka moved back so he could look his partner in the eye. "I didn't stay because you happened to get lucky. I stayed because I wanted to, and because you didn't deserve to have another partner walk out on you. No, don't turn away, look at me." Hisoka put his fingers on Tsuzuki's cheek, redirecting his gaze to make sure Tsuzuki was looking at him. "Listen to me. Do you not think the reason I stayed was because I wanted to?"

"Well...I mean...I don't know _why_ you wanted to. Remember how angry you were when you found out you were stuck with me?"

"That was before I knew you. You think I could have just walked away after what you did for me? I couldn't tell you I didn't want to work with you after that. I stayed because, past being the lazy, sweet-toothed, carefree, clumsy Shinigami, you are compassionate, kind and caring. It's no less than you deserve. If anything, you deserve better."

Tsuzuki shook his head. "There isn't anyone better. I couldn't ask for a better partner than you." Unlike his previous partners, Hisoka actually understood him. Hisoka took the time and energy to figure him out, saw through his masks, then tried his hardest to help. Even though Tsuzuki had worn fake smiles to fool everyone when he was actually depressed, even though he would deny it and refuse to explain himself, a part of him screamed to be understood, to be helped. He would feel guilty about living, but he didn't want to. He didn't want to be depressed. He didn't want to ruin everything, he wanted to be able to feel better about himself. Hisoka was the only one who actually persisted despite Tsuzuki's stubbornness about it all, the only one who heard his screams for help and refused to leave his side until he knew Tsuzuki would be alright. Hisoka actually wanted to remain with him.

Hisoka blushed again. "Then don't argue with me when I tell you it's no less than you deserve."

"Alright, alright." Tsuzuki said, smiling. He laid with Hisoka for a little while longer, the two of them content just silently cuddling. After a few minutes, Hisoka decided it was time to start the day.

"I think it's time to get up."

Tsuzuki stuck out his lower lip in a pout. "Do we have to?"

Hisoka sat up and stretched. "Yes, now get up. Besides, we have to get ready for Hakushaku's Christmas party. I'm sure you want to go...for whatever reason."

"What do you mean? Christmas parties are fun! Why wouldn't I want to go?" Tsuzuki asked, sitting up.

Hisoka shrugged and dug through the small dresser Tatsumi had given him to store his clothes in while he was at Tsuzuki's. "Too many people. Well, not for you I guess. Just be careful how much sake you drink, because we both know Hakushaku will take full advantage of that, and we don't need you doing something you'll end up regretting."

"C'mon, I don't get _that _drunk!"

Hisoka turned around and raised an eyebrow at Tsuzuki. "Right. Which explains why you decided it would be fun to strip at one of his parties."

"That was only once!"

"What about that time we went on vacation to Hokkaido and you sung bad karaoke?"

"Hey, It wasn't bad!"

"I beg to differ. Anyway, the point is, you _do_ get that drunk, and you will end up doing something more stupid than usual if you aren't careful, and I'm not going to bail you out." Gathering his clothes into his arms, he stood up. "I'm going to take a shower." With that, he headed to the bathroom, effectively ending all conversation.

Tsuzuki sighed and shook his head. Even on Christmas, Hisoka was his usual, argumentative self. Though, Tsuzuki had to admit, he probably wouldn't have it any other way. Tsuzuki had come to learn that it was Hisoka's own way of caring. Well, most of the time. Still, he just wouldn't be Hisoka if he didn't call him an idiot at least once a day.

Sliding out of bed, Tsuzuki began gathering his own clothes while he waited for Hisoka to get out of the shower so he could take one himself. He knew Hisoka hated parties, so he most certainly wasn't looking forward to this evening, but Tsuzuki wondered if he could make it at all better for him. There had to be _something_ he could do to make it more fun for him. Dancing was out of the question, he didn't get excited about food, and he wasn't very sociable. Tsuzuki sighed. Pleasing Hisoka was so difficult. Half the time he couldn't even tell if he was making him angry by trying or not. Of course, that never stopped him from trying to make Hisoka smile. Hisoka had definitely been happy the night before, though Tsuzuki wasn't sure what he'd done right. Whatever it was, he needed to do it again. That was the first time Hisoka had ever willingly cuddled, or even shown affection, and it just wasn't healthy to be so withdrawn all the time. He'd come up with something.

The rest of the morning went as it usually did: the two got ready, ate breakfast, with Hisoka yelling at Tsuzuki to hurry up because he was too slow and they would be late if he didn't move faster. Tsuzuki insisted they had plenty of time, but arrived at Tatsumi's just on time. Had they not walked quickly, they would have been late. With their arrival, Tatsumi, Watari, Tsuzuki and Hisoka all climbed into Tatsumi's car and headed to the Hall of Candles.

"Oh, welcome everyone!" Hakushaku greeted the four as they walked in the door. "You are the last ones to arrive!"

Tatsumi threw a glance at Tsuzuki. "I apologize if we were later than expected."

Hakushaku laughed. "Oh, it's fine! You know what they say...best for last." At this, he turned to face Tsuzuki, who gave a nervous grin in return.

"I take that back." Tatsumi mumbled. Hisoka rolled his eyes.

As they all made their way in, two familiar, bubbly voices sang out, "Hi~so~ka~!"

"Oh, no..."

Before Hisoka could find a place to disappear to, Saya and Yuma were beside him, each with a hand on his shoulder and uncomfortably close to his face.

"Oh, look how cute he is in his tux!" Saya giggled.

"But he would look so much more adorable in that Christmas dress we found." Yuma said with a smirk. "It would look lovely with his eyes!"

"Indeed it would! And we could put a little bow on top of his head, he'd be too cute to resist!"

Yuma ran a finger down his cheek. "And his skin is as soft as ever!"

"Stop touching me!" Hisoka yelled, pushing Yuma's hand away.

Yuma looked over at Tsuzuki. "What do you think, Tsuzuki? Wouldn't he look simply adorable in a nice Christmas dress?"

Hisoka was glaring at Tsuzuki with a look that clearly said 'if you say yes, I'm going to kill you slowly and painfully.' Tsuzuki grinned.

"Nah, I think he looks handsome in a tux."

Hisoka's face turned red. "Tsuzuki!"

Yuma gasped. "Did you hear that, Saya?"

"I did! Does this mean what I think it does?"

"I believe so."

"Come on, Yuma, I think we have some plotting to do."

With that, the two girls walked off, giggling in a way that made Hisoka shudder. "Great, now look what you started."

"Sorry. Should I go back and tell them the dress would look better?"

"Do that, Tsuzuki, and I swear, you will suffer."

Tsuzuki ruffled Hisoka's hair. "I'm just teasing you, I wouldn't do that to you. Besides, you look far better in a tux."

"Go get your food that you've been waiting all day for." Hisoka said with a blush, giving Tsuzuki a small push.

On the dance floor, Terazuma was spinning Kannuki around. Since it was the first time anyone had seen them dance together, everyone had actually stopped to watch. Neither of the two dancers noticed, continuing as if nobody else was around. When they finished, Terazuma dipped Kannuki and planted a kiss on her lips, and the room erupted with applause. Terazuma looked up, suddenly feeling awkward. Kannuki simply laughed and curtsied. Terazuma tried to walk away, but Kannuki grabbed his arm and pulled him back over.

"Bow, Hajime-chan!"

Though he didn't particularly want to, Terazuma gave a small bow anyway, then wandered toward the back of the room with his partner.

"That was fun!" Kannuki said, a large smile spread across her face. "We can dance again later, right?"

Terazuma nodded. "We can dance again. As long as everybody doesn't decide to start staring again."

"Aw, but they all clapped for us! They were watching because they liked our dance! Aren't you happy that they enjoyed it so much?"

Terazuma thought about it for a moment. While he didn't exactly like being put on the spot, he did have to admit, it was kind of nice to have everyone applaud their dance. After all, it was for Kannuki, and it made her happy.

Only a couple of minutes later, a slow song started playing, and Kannuki looked eagerly over at Terazuma. With a small smile, Terazuma took Kannuki's hand and walked her over to the dance floor.

Tsuzuki was still by the food table, watching the dancers. Normally, he'd have already been up there, but not having a dance partner made it rather difficult to dance. He wanted to ask Hisoka, but he knew that his partner hated dancing. Or, at least, he assumed so, since he had never seen him have any desire to do so. It didn't help that Hisoka hated crowds and stuck to the back of the room during parties.

Hisoka glanced up at Tsuzuki. "I'm surprised you haven't asked anybody to dance with you yet."

"Nobody to dance with." Tsuzuki said with a shrug.

"What do you mean? You could ask Saya or Yuma. They'd be happy to dance with you."

"I could..."

"But...?" Hisoka knew there was a reason behind it. He was starting to pick up on whenever Tsuzuki wanted something but was hesitant to ask.

"I wanted to dance with you."

Hisoka felt his cheeks heat up. "Me? I think you'd be better off asking somebody else...I'm not very good at dancing..." He'd only danced with somebody once before, and, while it hadn't gone badly, he had felt a little awkward, and he knew that he'd only make this awkward for Tsuzuki.

Tsuzuki gave a small smile. "That's okay, I can lead you. Please, Hisoka? Just one, and we'll do it off to the side where nobody else is. I don't want to dance with anybody else."

"Well..." Hisoka sighed. He couldn't say no to the look Tsuzuki was giving him. "Fine, just one. Don't expect this often, either."

"Thanks! You'll have fun, I promise!"

Tsuzuki led Hisoka to the least populated side of the room, away from the other dancers. Since Hisoka was giving him a chance, he was determined not to mess it up. Placing one hand at Hisoka's waist and taking his hand in the other, the two began a slow, simple dance. At first, Hisoka kept his gaze fixed on random things about the room, trying not to look at Tsuzuki. When he did look up, Tsuzuki was looking down at him with a gentle smile. Hisoka moved closer and rested his head against Tsuzuki's chest. He was surprised. He had expected it to be awkward, but it wasn't. It was actually rather nice, much like the night before when he had fallen asleep on the couch laying against Tsuzuki.

After the song ended, Hisoka took a moment before pulling away from Tsuzuki. The same smile was spread across Tsuzuki's face.

"Thanks, Hisoka. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No..."

Tsuzuki's smile widened. "I'm glad." He glanced up, and his smile turned into a sly sort of smirk. "Hey, look up."

Confused, Hisoka looked up. His face immediately turned red when he realized what they were standing under: one of the many mistletoes Hakushaku had set about the place, most likely in hopes of catching Tsuzuki under one. Before he could give any more of a reaction, Tsuzuki pressed his lips to Hisoka's, lingering a short moment before pulling back. Hisoka didn't have to look in a mirror to know his entire face had turned red.

"Tsuzuki~" Hakushaku sung out, stopping short when he saw Hisoka standing close to Tsuzuki. He didn't say anything, but Hisoka picked up on his first thought, which had been a loud, 'What is he doing with _my_ Tsuzuki?!'

Hisoka looked at Hakushaku for a moment, turned back to Tsuzuki, and gave him a somewhat forceful kiss. Hakushaku seemed to take the hint, grumbled and walked away. After Hisoka pulled away, Tsuzuki had a slightly confused look on his face.

"Hakushaku." Hisoka said with a blush as he explained, "He was wondering...well, in his words...what I was doing with 'his' Tsuzuki." He wasn't completely sure why he'd suddenly gotten possessive, but, after all they'd been through, Hisoka felt Tsuzuki was his to protect, to comfort, to love.

Tsuzuki smirked. "I'm not his Tsuzuki then?"

"No. You're my Tsuzuki. Mine and mine alone."

"Alright, but only if you are my Hisoka, and mine alone." Tsuzuki said, wrapping his arms tightly around Hisoka and pulling him close.

"Of course."

Tsuzuki leaned down and kissed Hisoka again. "Merry Christmas, Hisoka."

* * *

_Author's Note: Sorry it's a day late. I hope you all enjoyed this little holiday story. Merry Christmas to you all, and a happy new year as well!_


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